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Post Correspondence Problem

POST CORRESPONDANCE PROBLEM

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Rounakdeep Singh
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24 views2 pages

Post Correspondence Problem

POST CORRESPONDANCE PROBLEM

Uploaded by

Rounakdeep Singh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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11/10/24, 3:22 PM Post Correspondence Problem

Post Correspondence Problem


The Post Correspondence Problem (PCP), introduced by Emil Post in 1946, is an
undecidable decision problem. The PCP problem over an alphabet ∑ is stated as follows −

Given the following two lists, M and N of non-empty strings over ∑ −

M = (x1, x2, x3,………, xn)

N = (y1, y2, y3,………, yn)

We can say that there is a Post Correspondence Solution, if for some i1,i2,………… ik, where
1 ≤ ij ≤ n, the condition xi1 …….xik = yi1 …….yik satisfies.

Example 1
Find whether the lists

M = (abb, aa, aaa) and N = (bba, aaa, aa)

have a Post Correspondence Solution?

Solution

x1 x2 x3

M Abb aa aaa

N Bba aaa aa

Here,

x2x1x3 = ‘aaabbaaa’

and y2y1y3 = ‘aaabbaaa’

We can see that

x 2 x 1 x 3 = y 2 y1 y3

Hence, the solution is i = 2, j = 1, and k = 3.

Example 2
Find whether the lists M = (ab, bab, bbaaa) and N = (a, ba, bab) have a Post
Correspondence Solution?

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/automata_theory/post_correspondence_problem.htm 1/2
11/10/24, 3:22 PM Post Correspondence Problem

Solution

x1 x2 x3

M ab bab bbaaa

N a ba bab

In this case, there is no solution because −

| x 2 x 1 x 3 | ≠ | y 2 y1 y3 | (Lengths are not same)

Hence, it can be said that this Post Correspondence Problem is undecidable.

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/automata_theory/post_correspondence_problem.htm 2/2

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